Joint for folding rules.



E. A. SCHADE.

JOINT FOR FOLDING RULES.

APPLICATION FILED 050.30. 1916.

1,227,206. Patented May 22, 1917.

-N UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

EnMUNn ASOHADE, 0E NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNoE To THE STANLEY e EULEaIEvEI. COMPANY, OE NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A OOEPOEATION OE L CONNECTICUT. j

To all lwhom t may/*comermvBe it. known that I, EDMUND A. SCHADE, a citizen ofthevUnited States of America, residing at New Brita-in, Connecticut, have invented a new and. useful J oint'for Folding Rules, of which the` following is a specification. .i Y l .This inventionrelates to folding rules of the so-called zig-zag type and has for its objects generally to improve the pivot joints of such rules.-

A special object is to overcome the fault which has beengmore or less prevalent in rules of thisl charactei'consisting in the failure and breakage of the springs employed at the hinge joints of suchrules.

In accordance with these objects I construct the joint with two hinge plates pivotally'y connected. together by a pivot stud andprovide aspring for holding the hinge plates in frictional, engagement, said spring having an `opening through which the pivot -stud passes and being yof greatest width about said-opening lwhereby it is made of substantiallyfequal `strength throughout its length and therefore notrqliable to breakage.

rIhel spring is oflbowedconstruction and is seated ina depression inl one of the hinge plates, said hinge plate having a projection on its opposed face meshing in a correspondng,.recess kin the other hinge plate and a special feature is the widening of the spring seatfinthe first hinge plate to accommodate thev widened portion of the spring and the cutting away `of the side walls of the widened portion of said depression to prevent holding engagement at this point with the depression in the opposite hinge plate.

OtherV features will appear more fully as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated the invention embodied 1n a practical and preferred-form and wherein:

Figure 1 is a View in edge elevation of the hinge joint between two adjoining rule sections.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the sam Fig. 3 is a drop perspective v1ew of the several parts which go to make up the joint.

Fig. 4 is a top `plan view showing the spring seated in the depression provided for it in the hinge plate.

In the rst two views where the joint is shown in assembled condition, 5 and 6 desig- Specication of Letters Patent.

JOINT FOR FOLDING RULES.

f Application led December 30, 1916. Serial No. 139,766.

nate the adjoining end portions of two of the rule sections of a so-called zig-zag rule, sald ysections being recessed or hollowed out on their opposing faces as indicated at 7 0 receive certaln portions ofthe joint memers.

8 and 9 designate the two so-called hinge plates which are secured to the end portions of the rule sections, the irst plate having a depression 10 therein opposed to the recess 7 in the rule section to which it is applied so as to form in conjunction with said recess a chamber for the spring and having at its opposite or exposed face a projection 11 engaging in or meshing with a correspondingly shaped depression 12 in the exposed face of the other hinge plate 9. These hinge plates are usually constructed of sheet metal, in

which case a depression in one face provides as indicated at 13 to receive the shank of` the pivot stud 14.

15 designates the spring for yieldingly holding the hinge plates in frictional engagement, said spring being of novel construction in that it is of greatest width at its central portion at 16 about the opening 17 for the pivot stud and tapers gradually toward the 'opposite ends thereof as indicated at 18. This spring furthermore is preferably cu ped or bossed up around the pivot opening as indicated at 19 to form a raised seat for the head 20 of the ivot stud. This spring is freely received'wlthin the spring chamber before described and bears at its opposite ends in the spring seat provided by the depression 10,in the first hinge plate 8.

Thepivot stud is shown secured in place by a' washer 21 seated in a pocket 22 surrounding the extended end of the stud, said stud being riveted over the washer as indicated at 23. The opposite end or head of 24 provided in the rule section 6.

To carry out the idea of the Bodmer patent of having the intermeshing portions engaged at their opposite ends, I have shown the sides of the depression 10, where it has been widened at 25 to accommodate the widened central portion of the spring, cut away as indicated at 26 so that there will be no meshing action of the two hinge plates at this central point, the meshing and interlocking being thereby accompllshed wholly at the ends of said interlocking parts and the longitudinal alinement being therej fore always maintained.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the rule joint of my invention is well protected against breakage or breakdown, that longitudinal alinement is always preserved and that the device as a whole is simple and practical.

What I claim is:

1. A rule joint comprising a pair of hinge plates, a stud pivotally connecting sald plates and a. spring holding said plates in Jrictional engagement, said spring being relatively narrow at its opposite ends and wider intermediate its ends and provided further with an opening through said intermediate wider portion through which the pivot stud passes.

2. In a rule joint, a pair of hinge plates, a stud pivotally connecting said plates and a bowed spring holdin sald plates in frictional engagement, sai spring being Widest at its intermediate portion and tapering in width toward the opposite ends thereof and provided with an opening in said widest intermediate portion receiving the pivot stud.

3. In a rule joint, a pair of hinge plates having intermeshing portions on the meeting faces thereof and one of said hinge plates having a depression in the back thereof to provide a spring seat, a stud pivotally connecting the hin e plates and a bowed spring mounted in 51e spring seat aforesaid, provided with an opening receiving the pivot stud, said spring being of substantially greater width about said pivot opening than elsewhere and the spring seat being recessed and cut Iaway Vto accommodate said widened portion of the bowed spring.

4. In a rule joint, rule sections having recessses in their opposed faces, a hinge plate secured to one rule section having a depression opposed to the recess in said rule section to form a spring chamber and provided on its opposite face with a projection, a second hinge plate secured to the other rule section and depressed into the recess in the face of said rule sections, the hinge plates having pivot openings therethrough, a bowed spring seated in the spring chamber aforesaid and bearing at its opposite ends inthe depression in the first hinge plate, said spring having an opening therethrough in the intermediate portion thereof and being of greatest width about said opening, a headed stud passed through the openings in the spring` and hinge plates with its head bearing on the widened intermediate portion of the spring, the first rule section having an opening therein freely receiving said head of the pivot stud, the second rule Section having a seat surrounding the endA of the pivot stud and a washer mounted in said seat and receiving the extended end of the pivot stud, said extended end of the stud being riveted over the washer to thereby ses cure the parts together.

5.v A rule joint comprising a pair of hinge plates, a stud pivotally connecting said lates and a spring holding said plates in frictional engagement, said spring having a perforation for the pivot stud intermediate the ends thereof and being of greatest width about said perforation, said spring being furthermore bossed up about said pivot opening and the pivot stud having a head bearing on the raised seat thus provided by the bossed up portion of the spring.

EDMUND A. SCHADE. 

